Blast from the Past
by Mislav
Summary: Set somewhere in between season eleven and season twelve-basically this summer. Kate Callahan comes back to ask a favor from her former team mates: putting a dangerous killer, who has been paroled, away again. No shipping, case!fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own any of the Criminal Minds characters and I am not making any money from writing this.**

 **Please forgive any minor spelling or grammar mistakes, English is not my native language.**

 **This story takes place about a year after Kate left the show. I imagine she is still happily married to Chris, having Meg who is recovering from her abduction in season ten finale and now a baby girl too. It is basically case!fic, written similar to the episode form, focusing on solving the case but also exploring Kate's bond with her former team mates and her... questionable methods that were hinted on 10x1 "X". I wasn't a big fan of Kate but I though her backstory could have been explored more. It can be assumed that the parole hearing actually described in thus chapter is just a part of it, not the whole, since I assume those last much longer. It should be assumed that the scene in Hotchner's office takes place a day after the parole hearing.**

It was pretty early, seven am. Megan was eating her bowl of cereal slowly, still sleepy. Chris was sitting at the table opposite to her, slowly drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper. The baby was still sound asleep in the nursery.

Unlike any other time, Kate was already up, getting ready to leave. She put her other ear ring on upon walking into the dinining room, eyes searching for her purse. "So, the baby sitter will be here soon?", she questioned.

Chris cheeked his watch. "Yes, in ten minutes." He smiled. "Relax, honey."

"If only I could", she mumbled, walking over to the couch in the near by living room and picking up her purse. She walked back in the dining room, stopping to kiss Chris on the lips. He gently held her hand and looked her in the eyes."You will get him", he said assuringly. "Like before."

She gave him a warm smile. "Thank you." They kissed one more time briefly before Kate walked over to Meg and kissed her on the cheek. "Be good, OK?" Meg blushed and nodded her head before Kate headed toward the door.

#

Kate couldn't help but squirm while sitting on that chair, in that small room with bright yellow walls and white ceiling. She glanced at the people sitting near by: Jack Morrison, a tall and slim middle aged Caucasian man with short dark hair and dark eyes, a prosecutor, and, a lead investigator in the case, a tall, slightly overweight African American man in his fifties. They both offered her a slight smile. She smiled back, but found it hard to remain calm. She noticed Paul's attorney, looking at her, but tried not to pay attention to her. She already knew about the parole board members: Brad Smith, Nicole Jenkins, Gary Heffernan, Tracy Eggers and Shermain Jones. All stern, well dressed, observing everyone carefully and critically.

Finally, Paul Walsh arrived. Two COs escorted him inside. He grinned at everyone in the room, especially Kate, who tried to ignore him while feeling her heart thunder against her chest. Even after ten years in prison, he was still pretty attractive, tall and a bit muscular, with nice dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a baggy orange prison jumpsuit and his wrists, as well as his ankles, were handcuffed. His attorney, a red haired woman in her late twenties, followed by.

He, Paul Walsh, was seated next to his attorney, facing the parole board members and most of the other people present too.

"You've earned a college degree while incarcerated and later finished law school", Nicole read.

"That's right", Paul answered calmly.

Nicole looked him in the eyes. "Why?"

Paul shrugged. "It gave my life a purpose. And it gave me an opportunity to help both myself and the other people in here."

Brad closed the file. "You also saved a COs life in 2010, during a riot", he said. "Several prisoners had cornered him, armed with improvised clubs and knives, and you stood in front of him and managed to distract them long enough for the back up to arrive."

"That's right", Paul answered calmly, nodding his head.

Brad frowned. "Why did you do that? Why did you risk your life in order to save his?"

Paul shrugged. "I guess it just seemed worth it. A right thing to do."

Michelle glared at him. "You thought that he was better than you? More worthy of living?"

"In a way", Paul agreed. "And I felt that the right thing to do, for me, would be to help a person in trouble, no matter who that person was", he said sweetly. Kate rolled her eyes.

"You also performed a CPR on your cellmate, after he had a heart attack, thus saving his life", Sarah mentioned. "That was in 2007. Were your motivations the same then?"

"Pretty much", Paul said, nodding his head.

Nicole fondled her hands together. "You have been attending counseling since 2005, following your latest rape conviction and your release from the solitary."

"That is true", Paul confirmed.

"What made you decide to get help?", Shermain questioned. "Take responsibility for your actions?"

Paul sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He had been thinking for a while before turning his attention back to the parole board members. "To be honest, at first, the main reason why I started going there was because I had hopes that that would get me an early release", he admitted. "But, over time... everything started making sense, I'd say. All the pieces started falling together. I've realized... how stupid and selfish I was. How cruel, how immoral. How much hurt had I caused and how much I needed help."

Michele quickly cheeked her notes. "You've been taking, for five years now."

"Yes. And it is really helping me."

"I am not sure. I think that my... view of life... had just began improving. Once I had seen what was going on, I just felt... like... a gut reaction to help him. Seeing him like that made me feel uncomfortable, wrong. So I helped him."

"In 2013, you've provided the police with the information that you had learned from another prison, that helped the detectives solve the 1980 murder", Shermain pointed out. "Doing such a thing while still in prison is quite risky. Not to mention, you asked for nothing in return and refused to be transferred to a different wing or placed in a protective custody despite the risks."

"A lot of people in there depended on me", Paul said softly. "And I felt that the family deserved to know. They deserved the justice. As well as the victims." He sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment. "When I... disclosed the information about some people, I just wanted to get a light sentence. But the second time was different."

Parole board members all nodded silently, some muttered something. They pushed the files aside and turned their attention to Kate. She straightened herself up and took a deep breath.

"Mrs. Callahan", Nicole started politely. "You are an FBI agent, one of the people considered to be most important in capturing mr. Walsh. What is your opinion on the matter?"

Kate took a deep breath, going through all of the information, doubts and possibilities in her mind once again before speaking up.

"In my opinion, mr. Walsh shouldn't be released now or in a near future, from what I can tell", Kate said, loooking Nicole in the eyes and trying to sound confident. "His crimes and subsequent behavior show a high intelligence and a high manipulation skills. Not to mention, his crimes, even the ones that didn't result in murders, are one of the worst I've ever seen, and I've been an FBI agent for ten years now."

"With all due respect, I would like to add that those other people, I assume, also haven't shown the level of dedication that my client has", Paul's attorney chimmed in. She smiled slightly. "And if we would go by the logic that every sign of an improvement or rehabilitation is likely just a ruse, we may as well give up on on the whole parole system! Or the rehabilitation!"

"Not in every case, but in the case with such facts present and this kind of criminal profile, yes!", Kate exclaimed. She turned to face the members of the parole board again. "As I have stated before and as it is evident in my profile and the notes that I have submitted, many case elements point to mr. Walsh being a dangerous sexual psychopath. He would barely leave no evidence behind and he succesfully talked at least three of his victims to remain silent about the abuse he had inflicted upon them,."

"It's alright, mrs. Callahan. We are going to take that into consideration too."

"I would also like to submit this", Joan said, standing up and walking over to the table, a file in her hand. "As of 2015, my client has scored eight out of forty points on "Psychopath cheklist". That is usually a sign of one having no pathology or psychological disorder at all, at least not a serious one."

"But it should also be noted that those tests are not an exact science and that it is not impossible to trick them, manipulate the results", Kate pointed out. "And not being a diagnosed psychopath doesn't equal not being a safety risk."

#

Kate would mostly spend time in cafeteria or chatting with the lead detective on the case, trying to avoid anyone else who was involved in the process. Her heart was thundering against her chest, shivers rushing up and down her back. The look in Paul Walsh's face was haunting her.

They were all invited back to the hall after an hour. Brad Smith took a deep breath and took a look at Paul Walsh, then at Kate Callahan, before speaking up.

"This has proven itself to be a very difficult decision to make", he admitted. 0We are aware that we have an obligation to keep the public safe as well as that rehabilitation, in many prisons, is still seriously neglected and/or underappreciated. We also know that both possible decisions carry possible consequences in the way. But, based on the evidence presented anc interviews conducted, we have made the decision."

Paul exchanged a glance with his attorney. Kate took a deep breath.

"Mr. Paul Walsh, your parole has been granted", Brad Smith stated.

#

Aaron looked up from his papers upon hearing a knock at his office door, that had been ajar. He smiled upon seeing Kate standing there, dressed in a black sweater and jeans, a smile on her face and a slight redness in her cheeks. He walked over and exchanged a brief hug as she giggled.

"Nice to see you", he exclaimed. "How are you and your family doing?"

"Great!", she said. "Meg has been talking to a therapist, she is a lot better now. And I have a lot more free time on my new job, so... it's great." She sighed, looking around. "Not that I don't miss this... and the team."

Aaron nodded his head, a little more serious expression on his face. "But, judging by your phone call, you didn't just come over to refresh the memories, did you?"

Kate's face fell. "Unfortunately, no."

Within ten minutes, they were sitting at his desk, opposite to each other, having already gone through the basic details about the case. Aaron sighed, fimbling with the photograph in his hand, a case file laying opened on the desk in front of him.

The photograph, taken sometime prior to the murder, showed sixteen year old Melany Smith smiling brightly as she was standing in the school gym, dressed in her cheerleading uniform. She was tall and slim, with long brown hair and big brown eyes. The other photograph, on the desk, showed a woman named Greta was about 5'9 tall, slim, with very nice cheekbones and skin surprisingly smooth for her age, her eyes piercingly green and light, her hair white and cut to the shoulder length with slight bangs.

"My first case", Kate recalled. "Before I specialized in undercover operations. I was called in to investigate the case here, in Quantico. Suburb. The girl on the photograph... Melany Smith... had been murdered on June 20th 2004. The killer broke in through the back window late at night. Melany's parents were working late. The killer overpowers her, bind her wrists and taped her mouth shut with a duct tape, ripped her clothes off, beat her, raped her and strangled her to death. He broke the smoke alarm and burned the clothing and cloths in the kitchen sink. No evidence remained. The crime scene was so clean. Some detectives found a pair of rubber gloves and booties in a near by creek, wrapped in a plastic bag. The gloves matched to the glove print found on the scene. But water washed away any possible evidence." She sighed, pointing at Greta's photographs. "Two months prior, this woman, sixty year old Greta Stanson, was beaten and raped by an intruder who had broken into her home early in the morninh. Some thought that the cases were connected." She leaned back in her chair. "For months, the investigation had been going nowhere. Another local woman went missing. They finally reached out to FBI for help. Criminal profiling. It was still a small investigation in a small area, so... only I was involved."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Aaron put Melany's photograph down on the desk. "I worked with them on the case and was able to conclude that one of the minor suspects in the case matched the profile. Seventeen year old Paul Walsh. Just graduated, was about to go to college. Greta was his neighbor and Melany had been going to the same school with him. He had reportedly been abused as a child and had a juvenile record, still available at the time since he wasn't eighteen yet: vandalism conviction at the age of twelve, another one at the age of fourteen, both times he received a probation." She shifted in her chair. "Once I obtained... certain things on tape, everything ran smoothly. That is one of the reasons why I eventually specialized in undercover operations."

"You reached out to him", Aaron noted. "Managed to get him to say certain incriminating details, while you were wearing a wire."

Kate nodded her head. "That was enough for them to arrest him under the suspicion of murder and obtain a search warrant. In his room and the car, forensics found the evidence linking him to the crime. The jury eventually found him guilty of breaking and entering, assault in the first degree, rape in the first degree and murder in the first degree. Judge sentenced him to thirty years in prison: ten for rape in the furst degree and twenty for murder in the first degree. During the trial, four more people came forward with the allegations of a sexual abuse against him."

Aaron frowned. "And now he is out on parole?"

Kate groaned. "Well, they had a pretty iron tight case regarding Melany's rape and murder. But with the other crimes, not so much. The only forensic evidence they had was a piece of underwear found in his possession and his DNA on a bathroom strap, which wasn't necessarily a proof of rape."

Aaron took one more look over the file. "Not to mention, one victim had had several previous theft convictions and another one had, at one point, been suspended from school for falsely accusing another student of stealing her things", he read. "The prosecutors were still working on building a case against those other crimes at the time they were charging him with Melany's murder, due to not being as much evidence linking him to those offences and being hard to find the necessary witnesses due to the amount of time that had passed. They only finished after the trial for the rape and murder of Melany had been over, meaning that the trial for the other crimes would have to be separate and the jury wouldn't be allowed to hear about his murder conviction. And that case was still shaky. So they offered a plea bargain."

Kate rolled her eyes before she started to recite what she had heard so many times before. "Twenty nine years for that other crimes, to run concurrently with his thirty year prison term."

"He raped his cellmate, a year into his sentence", Aaron read.

Kate sighed. "Yes. But he made a deal. He provided the information about two corrupt COs who had been smuggling drugs in the prison, and one that led to 1990 rape being solved. So he only received seven years probation and two years solitary confinement. He never shared a cell again, though. Probably the only guy who received probation while already serving a thirty year prison sentence."

Aaron pulled out another photograph from the file. This one featured a Hispanic woman in her mid thirties, with long curly black hair and big brown eyes. "And this is the woman who went missing in the area a month after Melany's murder", he concluded before taking a brief look at the police report. "Thirty five year old Melissa Morales. She worked as a cashier in a local grocery store. Shortly before closing time, a masked man walked into the store and forced her, at knife point, to give him the money and security camera tapes, and then to go into his car. He drove away. That was the last time anyone has seen her alive. There was a young intern in the store at the time. She was left unharmed."

Kate crossed her legs, shifting in her seat. "Two weeks after the abduction, Malissa's naked body was found in a forest seventeen miles away, covered with some leaves and branches. She had been beaten, raped, sodomized, and strangled to death with some sort of a ligature. Most of the evidence was badly degrated by that point."

"That could have been Paul", Aaron agreed.

Kate groaned. "We suspected him of that too. But there were problems. Amy described the man in the store as about 6'1, overweight, and driving a green Ford. That didn't match to Paul at all. The medical examiner was able to conclude that Melissa had been murdered on the same night she was abducted, but couldn't determine when exactly or how long was she being held captive. But soon after the news about the body being found spread, a local resident, an eldery man who would often go on a late night walks in that area, came forward. He said that he had seen a young man, whom he couldn't describe well, dumping something in that area, that he assumed was some waste, at about eleven pm. Melissa was abducted at about seven pm, at the time Paul had no alibi, but there were multiple photographs and eyewitnesses confirming that he seventy seven miles away at the time, from nine pm to twelve pm, at his aunt's birthday party."

Aaron looked up, having just read pretty much what Kate had told him. "So, you want us to take another look at this. Find an explanation for discrepencies. So the prosecution can make the case without the defense getting in the way with such information. Maybe we can even find a new evidence."

"That could put him away for life", Kate said hopefully.

Aaron nodded his head, but he wasn't entirely convinced. "Well, according to the release papers, his parole conditions are quite strict. Parole device, not allowed to be out pass eleven pm, not allowed to socialize with minors while unsupervised, many unannounced drug and alcohol tests and polygraph exams, has to registar as a sex offender and attend counselings. I doubt that he would be able to do much harm to anyone else, now."

"You know that such guys almost always find a way", Kate insisted. "He is highly intelligent and manipulative. And that won't stay that way forever. He will get re evaluated every three years. And Melissa's murder is already a cold case. Every day, the chances of it getting solved are being reduced. Her family deserves to know. They deserve justice."

Aaron nodded his head and looked Kate in the eyes. "We will do our best", he assured her.

~OPENING ROLES AND CREDITS~


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own any of the "Criminal Minds" characters and I am not making any money from writing this.**

 **Please forgive any minor spelling or graar mistakes, English is not my native language.**

 **I know that Derek left the show in season eleven, but he is included in this story. You can see it as an AU or figure that he decided to join on that particular case to help Kate.**

It was odd, being in that work environment again. Same desks, same computers, same smells, but everything new all the what was great was being around her friends again.

Kate exchanged a hug with JJ before embracing Spencer, who blushed.

"So nice to see you again!", JJ commented. "You have to bring us over to see Amy sometime."

"I will", Kate promised. "I'm sorry that we are not meeting under the more pleasant circumstances though."

"We're here to help", David said, assuringly.

#

Soon, they were all in the work mood, in the main work room. Kate and Aaron stood in the center of the main workroom, in front of a white plastic board, filled with crime scene photographs and print outs of forensic reports. The others were sitting a few feet away, at their desks, facing the board. They all had copies of case files and some trial transcripts.

"There is no doubt that Paul Walsh is guilty", Aaron started. "But, despite his meticilousness, he made plenty of mistakes, as you will soon learn. Let's hope that there are some clues that can help us prove that he murdered Melissa Morales as well."

"Bra and panties were found under the mattess of his bed", Kate started. She pointed to a photograph of blue bra and panties, plastered on the board. "Those matched to Melany's size. The victim's mother identified them as belonging to her daughter. Forensics managed to recover two DNA profiles from skin cells found on those items: Paul's and Melany's. His car matched, in model and color, to the one spotted parked near Stephanie's house on the night of the murder, and on few other occasions. He could provide no alibi for the time of the murder or that other occasions." She sighed, turning away from the board. "The medical examiner concluded that Stephanie had been beaten by a strong right handed person, between 5'9 and 5'11 tall. Paul matched the description. A shocking amount of violent pornography was found on his computer. The belt that he owned matched, by the model, size and fiber material, to bruises and fibers found on Stephanie's neck. The duct tape found in his desk drawer matched to the duct tape used to bind the victim's wrists and tape her mouth. Made, size, color, chemical component and cutting edges were all the same."

"As soon as he was arrested for murder, they started looking into him for the rape of Greta Stanson", Aaron chimmed in. "There were few other pairs of panties and bras found under the mattress. Greta identified two as hers. Two DNA profiles were recovered from skin cells found on them: Greta's and Paul's. There were also traces of Paul's saliva." He pointed to the photographs of that evidence on the board. "The tyre iron found in the trunk of Paul's car matched to the tool marks left during a break in and the bruises on Greta's body. Despite his effort to get rid of all the evidence, small traces of Greta's blood remained on the tool, as well as traces of car oil matching to the ones found on the window frame and Greta herself." He turned back towards his team mates. "Fiber samples taken from the car trunk carpet matched to the fibers found inside Greta'a wounds. An expert who examined her injuries concluded that she, too, had been beaten by a strong right handed person, between 5'9 and 5'11 tall. Also, gloves and shoe covers used in that attack were the same as the ones used in Melany's murder."

"They managed to extract two DNA profiles from the third pair of bra and panties", Derek read, going through the case file. "One matched to Paul. They ran the second one through CODIS and found a match. Twenty six year old Tracy Beckett. Arrested two times for theft a few years prior."

They All looked up at the photograph of Tracy Beckett, plastered on the board. She was a young African American woman, tall and slim, with shoulder length black hair and black eyes.

Kate sighed. "According to her story, she was walking home from work, alone, at night, when Paul pulled over, offering her a ride. She agreed, climbed in, on to the passenger seat. As soon as she entered the car, he locked all the doors, pulled out the screwdriver from the glove compartment and forced her to climb on the back seat with him." She sighed and looked down at the floor for a moment, trying to sort her thoughts out. "He first forced her to undress and pose provocatively, and he snapped a few photographs with his cellphone. Then he undressed himself and forced her to perform an oral sex on him, punching her over the arms and back as she did. He then raped her, using a hand cream that he had in his car as a lubricant. While doing so, he kept insulting her, slapping her over the face and punching her in the chest." She fondled her hands together. "He said that he was going to send the photographs to his friends that very night, who will share them around the school and post on the Internet in case he were to be arrested or physically harmed, that way both humiliating Tracy and destroying her credibility. Then he cleaned her up a little, using wet wipes that he had in the car, allowed her to get dressed and let her go. And, after the trial started, more victims came forward. First one being her." She pointed to the photograph of a young blonde girl on the right upper side of the board. She was petite, with green eyes, and had bangs. "Heather Summers."

"According to her, eighteen months prior, on the party, when she was fourteen and Paul was sixteen, Paul dragged her into the downstairs bathroom, closing and locking the door behind", Spencer read before looking up at the board. "He started kissing her aggressively, grinding himself against her, grooping her breasts and trying to pull her shorts down after he had unbuttoned them." David and Derek grimaced. Kate looked away. "She was screaming, but the music was too loud for anyone to hear. She was fighting and scratching, trying to break free, and he slapped her over the face a few times. The whole thing lasted for about two minutes, until she managed to kick him in the groin and, as a result, break free from his grasp. She left the party immediately. She was ashamed, afraid of getting into trouble because she had snuck off to the party without her parent's permission, and Paul threatened her a few times following that night, so it was only after the news of his arrest broke out that she was able to make courage to speak up..."

"She was no longer alone", Tara noted. "And he could no longer get to her."

Derek groaned. "And then, there is Howard Matthews." He groaned. "And more secrets became releaved once the parents of children he had been babysitting found out and started asking questions..."

Aaron nodded his head. "Howard came forward around the same time Heather did. Howard claimed that, once they were left alone in the locker room, Paul beat him up, then forced him to perform an oral sex on him. Then he helped him shower and made him brush his teeth. He said that he had friends who would hurt Howard's loved ones if he, Paul, was to end up being arrested or physically harmed. Out of humiliation and fear, Howard kept silent."

"The boy that he had abused while babysitting is Jerry Willson", Kate added. Everyone gazed at the photograph of a smiling red haired boy, plastered right next to the psychiatric report.

Kate grimaced. "When questioned by his parents and the police later, Jerry admitted that, at one point, Paul had convinced him to undress, claiming that they were going to play a game. He took his clothes off too and begun chasing him around the room." She lowered her voice. "After catching up to him, he pinned him to the ground, lubricated himself with baby lotion from the bathroom, then sodomized him while whipping him over the back with a bathroom strap." She shivered and rubbed her eyes, trying to remain calm. "He then gave him a bath, applied Vaseline to his back and convinced him that he just punished him for misbehaving, advising him not to tell his parents because they would blame him and promised that he would not do such a thing to him again if Jerry would not misbehave." She looked away. "He even gave him ten dollars, in order to appeal to him. So the boy kept quiet until somebody finally reached out to him." She took a deep breath, turning to face the others. "Jerry also revealed that a few times prior to the rape, when he would misbehave, Paul would make him strip down to his underwear, do so himself, then spank him while smelling his hair."

"Although a lot of time passed, the pediatrist managed to recover a small fissure inside Danny's anus", JJ read. "Forensics managed to recover both Paul's and Danny's DNA on the bathroom strap, as well as traces of human blood and semen in the bathtub drain, too degrated for the analysis."

Derek groaned. "To make the matters worse, Danny had witnessed an attempted sexual assault on his playmate as a five year old. His parents worked hard to find a safe babysitter." He shuddered. "And they choose a sexual predator in disguise."

"Who knows how many victims there would have been if he hadn't been caught as soon", Kate commented. "Penny Newman, for example..."

Aaron pointed to the photograph of a chubby Caucasian four year old girl on the board. She had long curly brown hair and brown eyes. Her name was written above the photograph. "At one point, when she was playing in the yard alone and her parents were in the house, Paul, who, had been going home from school in his car, pulled over. That lasted for a few minutes, then he left. He did it again the next week." There was another photograph, showing that girl playing in her yard. She had been wearing nothing but pink panties and blue sandals. "That was about a month before Stephanie's murder."

David stood up. "But he didn't stop there." He walked over to the board, studying it's content closely. "He also raped his cellmate."

Spencer frowned, reading the case file. "Danny Eggers. He reporter the incident to the warden on November 7th, 2005. He claimed that, a week earlier, Paul beat him up and raped him while forcing him to yell obscenties." He looked up from the file. "Medical examination recovered bruises on his back, chest and arms and two partially healed fisures in his rectum, consistent with him being beaten up and raped about a week earlier."

"Forensics examined the cell", Derek continued. "Although a week had passed and bed sheets had been washed twice by then, they managed to find small traces of Danny's blood and saliva, and traces of Paul's semen. They found boxer shorts hidden in locker, with both his and Paul's skin cells on it, as well as with traces of Paul's saliva and semen."

JJ frowned. "The bed sheet remained the same?"

"Quite common in some prisons these days", Spencer noted. "They sawn in a serial number so they know which sheet is for what cell, what prisoner even. It can be pretty efficient if the murder or drug dealing businesses start to happen inside the prison."

David put the file away and stood up, walking over to the board. He picked up the marker and started composing the timeline on the small blank place that had remained near the base.

"So, the timeline of victims is: February 19th 2003, Heather Summers. Assault, attempted rape", he recalled, writing down the information. "April 15th 2003, Howard Matthews. Aggravated assault and a sexual assault. July 29th 2003, Tracy Beckett. Abduction, aggravated rape. January 28th 2004, Danny Adams. Aggravated rape of a minor. May 24th 2004, Greta Stanson. Breaking and entering, aggravated rape, assault with a deadly weapon. June 7th 2004, Melany Smith. Breaking and entering, aggravated rape, murder in the first degree. August 29th 2004, Melissa Morales. Armed robbery, abduction, aggravated rape and murder in the first degree. October 31st 2005. Aggravated rape."

"While committing his premeditated, more sofisticated attacks, he would attack the victims in their own homes", Spencer noted. "Melissa's murder was obviously premeditated and well carried out, but she was abducted from her workplace. It doesn't fit."

"She lived with a husband and son", Derek pointed out. "It would be harder to attack her at her home."

"Melany was living with her parents and a younger brother, and he still attacked her in her home", JJ said.

"But by attacking Melissa at her workplace, he gained access to the money in the same time", David noted.

"But neither of his other victims were robbed", Spencer remembered. "He even bribed some in order to keep them silent. Another discrepency."

"Maybe the money was just another trophy, only he didn't get around to storing it properly", Aaron suggested, frowning.

"But her bra and panties weren't found in his possession", Kate said.

"They were found in a near by creek", Tara noted. "Maybe he accidentally dropped them there, so he kept the money."

He frowned. "That still doesn't explain the abduction from the grocery store."

"Maybe he changed his MO intentionally", Derek suggested. "To set the police off the track."

"But all the other details seem pretty consistent", Kate said.

"The game changed", David reasoned. "Police work kept getting more and more detailed. He had connection to the previous two victims they knew about, and his third intended one. He is obviously smart. He had to adjust."

JJ frowned, looking at the board. "And his victim choice is unusual. He has no type at all. Men, women, children, young, old."

"It isn't that unusual", Spencer chimmed in. "Donald Gaskins raped women as young as two and as old as fifty. He and his friends would also molest young boys when they were teenagers. Andrei Chikatilo would sexually abuse and slain adult women as well as teenagers and children of both sexes. He had been molesting both male and female children prior to resorting to murders."

"Paul lived a nice life at the time of the murders, but his past is definitely consistent with such pathology", Tara noted.

Kate nodded her head. "Born as Paul Jane in 1987, two years before his brother, Gary, was born. They lived in a trailer. Mother a prostitute. Dad a gang member. He would beat her and them often, she would then take it out at children. He left the family when Paul was ten, she kept abusing her children. Sometimes she would force them to hide in the closet and watch her have sex with the clients. She would go easy on his younger brother, which was enraging him. He was bullied at school and, allegedly, in a second grade, molested by a fifty year old woman, his teacher. His mother would sometimes allow other men and women to molest him in an exchange for money. Paul's father raped and murdered his mother in front of him. Got arrested, went to prison. The siblings were placed in a separate foster homes and have never seen each other again. Paul was adopted by a woman named Jenny Walsh soon after. He took her last name."

"She kept visiting him in prison quite regularly, calling and writing to him too, until he was convicted of raping his cellmate", Aaron noted, studying the logs.

Kate sighed. "Hard to imagine that she hadn't been ignoring some signs prior to that."

"So, maybe she can help us now", JJ said.

"Do you think she will want to talk ti you?", Aaron asked Kate.

"Yes", Kate answered.

"Re-interviewing his victims could help", Spencer said while Kate was looking up Jenny's address.

#

Jenny Walsh was sitting on the living room couch, next to her husband, Brian Walsh. Her brown curly hair was a mess, her face was pale. Kate and JJ were sitting on the living room sofa, facing the two.

"I haven't slept since I heard that Paul was released", she admitted silently.

"Do you remember anything about August 9th 2004?", Kate asked softly. "The night that Melissa Morales was murdered?"

"I've been thinking about that constantly. Ever since... I saw the way Paul truly was. The crime that he might have gotten away with." She shivered. "He was mostly in his room that day. Studying. But that night, when the cops said the murder happened, he was definitely at that party with me and Brian."

"Can you think of any... location here, that he frequented?", JJ asked. "Something like a hide out?"

"No", Jenny said, her eyes watery. She shuddered. "I know what you think. How could I not know?"

"Psychopaths are good manipulators", JJ said.

"Can we take a look at his room?", Kate asked.

"It is my workroom now", Brian said. "We gave away few things that weren't taken as evidence to charity."

"We've been thinking about adopting another child...", Jenny admitted. "But I don't think I can take the pressure... the risk." She looked away. "I... we were really doing our best."

"I know you were", Kate agreed softly.

"Please solve this", Brian said, gently pulling Jenny closer to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own any of "Criminal Minds" characters and I am not making any money from writing this.**

 **Please forgive any minor spelling or grammar mistakes, English is not my native language.**

Kate's car was parked accross the street from Paul Walsh's house, mostly concealed yet with a fairly good view. Kate frowned, observing the windows (all with the drapes on), while JJ shifted in the passenger seat uncomfortably, glancing at Kate.

"I don't think this is a good idea", JJ protested, concern evident in her voice.

"I have to study his reaction", Kate insisted, albeit sounding polite. She hated through the windshield window. "Throw him out of the comfort zone. See his home."

"What if he flees?", JJ asked.

"He won't", Kate concluded. "He doesn't have much resources. He just got out of prison. Besides, he's arrogant. And wants to keep his enemy close."

"What about you?", JJ asked carefully. "Your family?"

"He won't risk hurting us", she said, looking JJ in the eyes. "He just got out. He ples everything meticulously. Besides, or address isn't in any of the phone box, and Meg can't use the Internet unsupervised."

"What if he reports us?", JJ hissed.

"He won't", Kate scoffed. "Besides, nobody would believe him if he did. And technically, we aren't doing anything illegal."

JJ sighed. "Hotch..."

"Would understand, I'd bet", Kate replied with a smile.

JJ smiled slightly in return, leaning back in her seat. "Are you sure you don't want me to go over there with you?", she asked softly.

Kate shook her head. "No, he needs to see me. Alone. Determined."

"It's unlikely that you could use anything you obtain this way in court."

"Maybe it will lead me to something I can."

JJ gave her a comforting smile before Kate got out of the car, closing the door behind. Kate turned around and looked at the house, feeling herself shiver. She began approaching it, her heart beating faster with every step. She felt her stomach sink upon reaching the front door. She looked around, then rang the doorbell, keeping one hand on her gun.

She took a deep breath as the door was pulled open, shivering as she found herself face to face with Paul Walsh. His face was pale for a moment, his eyes widened in surprised. But soon, he grew calmer, or he seemed to, and a look on his face turned into the one of annoyance.

"Kate Callahan", he commented mockingly, crossing his arms over his chest. "What a surprise."

"Agent Callahan", she corrected him.

Paul smirked. "In my yard, in front of my house, you are not."

The sounds coming from inside the house were heard. Soon, a woman appeared in the hallway, just in front of the door. The woman that stopped in her tracks upon seeing Kate Callahan, widening her eyes. Kate recognized her instantly. That was Brenda, Paul's attorney. She was wearing a black T-shirt and red shorts, and her hair was a mess.

"Surprise indeed", Kate agreed, glaring at Brenda meaningfully.

Brenda blushed, fixing her hair. "I'm just here to discuss legal matters", she claimed.

Kate smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Sure you are, hon."

"I obviously have to", she insisted, looking Kate in the eyes. "To help my client resolve situations like this", she snapped back.

Kate took a step closer to Paul, looking him in the eyes. "Yes", she mused in a husky tone. "We wouldn't want to meet alone... wouldn't we?" She chuckled. "Not again."

Paul flinched, but didn't say anything, keeping his stare.

"We do know about the others, Paul", Kate said. "We will not stop until you are brought to justice for all of your crimes."

Paul remained staring back at Kate for some time, grinding his teeth and breathing heavily, before a smug look appeared on his face. "Then I guess you'll have your work cut out", he said before shutting the door to Kate's face. Soon enough, the sound of the door locking was heard.

#

"None of Paul's surviving victims showed up at his parole hearing", he noted. "No wonder he walked." He looked up at Derek and Tara. "Though I do understand", he elaborated.

Derek sat down at the desk, picking up one of the papers off the desk and skimming through the content. Tara also sat down. "Greta Stanson is in her 70s now", he noted. "Tracy Beckett died in a car accident two years ago. Howard Matthews and Heather Sanders both moved to Brooklyn. Jerry Willson is a High school senior, has a sports scholarship. Penny Newman and her family now live in Washington D.C."

"I'm also going through the victim's statements", Spencer added, flipping through the papers.

"Why?", Derek asked, frowning.

"I don't know", Spencer admitted. "It can't hurt, I guess. Maybe there is some indication... that they know more than They though they did."

Tara frowned. "Have you considered conducting a cognitive interview?", she asked, making Spencer look up. "Merge into details?"

"We could try, but eleven years passed, and the victims probably wouldn't be too co operative", Spencer explained. "They just want to move on, forget."

"Let's all hope that they'd like to see Paul Walsh back behind bars, indefinitely", Derek commented.

"What's this?", Tara exclaimed, picking up the tape recorder that had been laying on the side of the desk.

"The tapes that Kate made during her undercover operation", Spencer explained. "I still haven't gotten around to listening to them."

Their conversation was interrupted by Kate and JJ, who walked into the workroom. They exchanged glances with the others and sat down at the table, sighing as they did. "Neither Jenny nor her hushand knew anything important", Kate said, exchanging a look with JJ.

"There night be something here...", Spencer said before looking up at his colleagues. "The records obtained during am original investigation show that Paul's phone signal would often bounce in an area near his school. Often at nights. Even at weekends." He showed several photographs to them, noting that they were all listening to him with an interest. "A big, unattended storage room, a big girls near by... I've seen that area a few times. It hasn't changed much since. If there is some evidence that still hasn't been found..."

"Wanna go interview Greta Stanson with me?", Kate suddenly asked Tara, turning to face her. Tara looked up, widening her eyes.

"Uh...", Tara exclaimed, surprised. She didn't expect Kate's offer.

"I interviewed her before", Kate pointed out. "And we are both women. She doesn't live too far away. So..."

"OK", Tara eventually agreed, standing up. "Have you conducted a cognitive interview the first time around?", she wondered.

"I tried, but she refused", Kate explained. "But maybe now..."

#

Spencer and Derek were walking down the pathway that led toward the High school, near the field that surrounded it. They both had latex gloves over their hands and booties over their shoe bottoms. They followed after principal Keith Summer, a middle aged Caucasian man with short black hair and black eyes. The forensic van was parked near by, with forensics, already with gloves and booties on, and dressed in protective gears, stepping outside and unloading their kits.

"We've been meaning to... fix up this area, really", the principal said, apologetically. "But, you know... budget cuts." He ran a hand through his hair, looking around. "This... surrounding area looks pretty much the same way it did back when Paul was going to school here." He sighed. "Such a nice kid. Who would have thought..."

"Psychopaths are good at fooling people", Derek explained. "Keeping up the ruse."

"Just call me if you need anything", he said. Derek and Spencer nodded their hands in response. Keith took a look over the area, then went back into the school, to his office.

Derek and Spencer looked at the field, already swammed by the forensics, before glancing at the near by storage room. The metal door was big and heavy, painted red. The windows were dusty, apparently from inside and out.

"I guess we have a work to do", Spencer commented uneasily, clutching at a bottle of Purrel in his pocket, before heading toward the storage room, followed by Derek.

#

Greta Stanson sighed as she sat down on her living room couch, opposite to Kate and Tara, who were sitting on the sofa. She looked tired, her face pale. Her hair was shoulder length, more white than gray, cut in bangs. "I didn't expect him to get released during my lifetime...", she admitted sadly. "I guess I was wrong."

"We are now looking into him for other crimes", Kate explained softly. "There are probably still some things that could put him away."

Greta grimaced. "I guess that is both a good and a bad thing." "And I assume you want me to... talk about that morning again. To remember those things. Discuss them."

"I know that this is hard for you, and it is OK if you don't want to do that", Kate said softly. "But it's all about the details. Any new clue could gain as an advantage."

"The more evidence we gather, the quicker the investigation progresses, we have bigger chance of bringing justice to his other victims, and their families. And to put him away again. As soon as possible."

Greta sighed and closed her eyes.

"Just relax", Kate advised her, observing her.

Greta started breathing heavily, laying her hands on her knees.

"What were you doing when the attack happened?"

Kate swallowed a lump in her throat. "I... I was just getting out of the bathroom. I was in my robe... I had just taken a shower."

"That's when it happened?", Kate more stated than asked, observing Greta carefully.

Greta nodded her head, shuddering. "I walked into the living room, I was on my way to my bedroom, and there he was." She gasped. "In the next moment, I felt... a hard blow to my face. And over my right arm. I was on the floor. Soon enough, he was... on top of me. Pulling my robe off... unbuttoning his pants."

"Did he say anything?", Tara asked softly.

Greta grimaced, clenching her fists. "He was just... panting. Moaning." She shivered. "It was disgusting."

"Take it easy", Kate advised her. "Do you remember any... distinctive details? Odors, marks..."

"He smelled of sweat... and lube." She shivered, tears seeping from under her eyelids, a lump now in her throat. "That's all I remember. My head hurt so much... I was barely able to breathe... and I cried the whole time." She bit her lower lip, her voice lowering. "After... the second time... he pulled me up... basically dragged me to the bathroom... after pulling his pants back on. I... I heard some noise, like something fell to the floor... maybe keys. He told me: "Take a shower, bitch. Scrub yourself clean." And I did, and he was watching me... I was stealing glimpses, I just wanted him to leave." "He... he was looking for something on the living room floor. I think he picked something up and put it in his pocket... I'm not sure what. He later went to my room. He returned a few minutes later... with my panties and bra in his hand." She sighed, shuddering. "Then he left. It took me almost an hour to call the police."

She finally opened her eyes and took a deep breath, looking away. "For years, I'd slept with all the doors and windows in my house locked, and I would put a papper spray in my bathroom before showering. I was afraid that he'd go after me again. Until recently, that really was just a paranoia."

#

Kate and Tara took one more look at the door before walking out of Greta's years, toward the car.

"What keys?", Tara questioned. "Greta was Paul's neighbor. He didn't need to use his car. It is unlikely he could leave through the front door before awakening anyone. He must have sneaked through the window in his room or something. What keys did he have?"

"We should go through the original evidence", Kate decided. "Maybe that is a key to some sort of hiding place."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't own any of the "Criminal Minds" characters and I am not making any money from writing this.**

 **Please forgive any minor spelling or grammar mistakes, English is not my native language.**

 **Sorry about the delay, I've been busy. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

Derek and Spencer were making their way back to their SUV slowly, taking their gloves and booties off rather casually before throwing them into a near by trash can. The forensics crew started to clear up also, packing up their equipment and leaving.

"Nothing", Derek said. "If there ever was an usable evidence here, it's long gone now. No throphies, no traces of blood..."

Spencer grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't have to crawl through that bushes alone, you know."

Derek chuckled. "Well, searching them was your idea!"

"Do you think Kate's OK?", Spencer asked, looking away for a moment.

Derek glanced at him, taken aback by that question. "She appears to be doing well. Why?"

Spencer sighed. "I mean, she's still really invested in this case, over ten years later."

"If the guy like that were to get released, I'd be pretty damn invested also", Derek admitted. He sighed, looking around. "In a way, I am", he noted.

Spencer frowned. "What do you think, how many unsubs that we have captured will be granted parole, during our lifetime?"

Derek groaned. "Hopefully, not many."

#

Tara was the one to drive while Kate was seated on the passenger seat, looking through the window. There weren't much cars on the street. Bright sun beams peaked through the car glass.

"So... how long have you been... with the team?", Kate asked, looking away from the window.

"For over a year", Tara answered, smiling. "It's been really nice."

Kate chucked. "I'm sure of that."

"Have you figured out what's the deal with Spencer?", Tara asked jokingly.

Kate smiled, shaking her head, before shifting in her seat. "No. That's a mystery."

"Anyway, I interview serial killers", Tara mentioned. "A lot. Not that I don't think you understand..."

"How so?", Kate asked.

"Well, you interrogated Paul, right?", Tara pointed out calmly. "First undercover, sort of, then for real... right?"

"Right", Kate answered silently, looking through the window again.

#

While Tara and Kate were on their way back, Derek and Spencer were already at the headquarters, going through the case files.

"This is strange", Spencer noted, frowning.

"What?", Derek asked.

Spencer looked up. "The witness statements. Some."

Derek gave him a questioning look.

"There is a lot of emphasis on the dates. Heather Summers' testimony, for example... most of the sex abuse victims... this is just odd."

Derek frowned, taking a look at the notes himself. "Well, one detail may appear odd..."

"It's more than that", Spencer insisted, pushing a few more notes over, in front of Derek. He hunched over, eyes focused on the printed words. "Look at the way she worded her testimony. "He sort of grabbed me, pushed me against the wall..." "He, like, started kissing me, leaning into me, grinding his body against mine..." Howard Matthews also. "He kind of grabbed me, told me to go down on my knees..." They use similar phrases, emphasize on dates, recount the events and then use sayings that minimize it, "sort of", "like"..."

"Tracy Beckett. Alex. Look at their statements. "He pulled out a screwdriver, put it against his neck. He told me to be quiet and to move to the back seat. I did." Alex: "He grabbed me, pulled me down on his bunk. He already had a bottle of hand cream with him. He was so strong. He told me he would break my neck if I screamed. He started pulling the lower part of my jumpsuit down."

"What about Greta Stanson?", Derek asked. "And Jeremy?"

"Those statements appear genuine", Spencer informed him.

Derek frowned. "So what are you getting at, Spencer? That Paul Walsh is guilty of some of this crimes but innocent of the rest?"

"I'm not saying or claiming anything in particular, for now", Spencer explained. "I'm just saying that many details are off. I know that this isn't an exact science, but still..."

"Spencer, several different experts interviewed those victims and examined this statements!", Derek objected.

"I'm aware of that", Spencer admitted, "but not all of this discrepencies are easy to stop, especially if you are not an actual profiler, and after the deal was made... there was no need to question this allegations, wasn't it?"

Derek paused for a moment, thinking everything over, before looking Spencer in the eyes. "Just so we're clear, I won't be the one to announce this to Kate", he said.

Spencer just nodded his head.

#

Kate arrived to the workroom by the time all the others had left for the day or had gone on a break. She was only greeted by Spencer, who awaited her timidly.

"Well, finally, we got something!", she exclaimed, a smile on her face. "Greta Stanson remembered that Paul had a key in his possession when he raped her. He'd have no reason to. He lived right next to her, probably sneaked out through the window. Garcia checked. No other family properties, no records of a warehouse. But one of Paul's friends... well, his family, own a cottage near Paul's home. According to their social media records, they barely go over there. Hotch will help us get a warrant. Maybe we could find some other trophies, traces of blood..."

Spencer nodded his head, smiling in a supportive way. "Congratulations. Actually, I've discovered something also." He shuddered, swallowing a lump in his throat. "We have to talk."

They retreated furthet into the workroom, near the desk. He explained his doubts in the most polite, though not the most clear, way possible. He found it difficult to mantain an eye contact. Kate sighed and shook her head, walking away. She crossed her arms over her chest. "So; you are actually suggesting that that monster may be innocent, because some statements, made by traumatizee rape victims, sound odd to you?", she asked accusingly.

"There's more than that", Spencer insisted as Kate sighed and rolled her eyes, looking away. Spencer took a step closer, lowering his voice. "All sorts of violent pornography was found on Paul Walsh's computer, but barely any of it included strangulation or even breath play. Yet, both the murder Paul was convicted of and the one you suspect him of were committed by a ligature strangulation. Likely with the same weapon. Tracy Beckett testified that Paul would strangle her non-fatally while raping her, with her own bra. That would have been a major part, element, of the unsub's pathology. It's like somebody just threw in bunch of sick stuff without craving for anything in particular. I talked to Garcia. Tracy Beckett would receive regular payments from a shell corporation following Paul's conviction, five thousand dollars every month, for two years. Then ten thousand dollars a month for three years. And then she died in a car accident."

"She had been convicted of thefto before!", Kate cried. "Who knows for what those payments were or who was sending them!" She sighed. "Are you seriously suggesting Paul may be innocent of murders as well? That I sent an innocent man to prison?"

"I'm not saying that", Spencer corrected her. "But you were young, there was a lot of forensic evidence pointing to him, most of the other alleged victims came forward after his arrest, once your job had already been done, when you were gone... maybe we should look at this with a new perspective."

Kate looked him in the eyes. "You want a new perspective?", she hissed. "Listen to that tape. The guy was basically gloating about it. He probably wished to rape and murder me as well."

#

Kate paced around her hotel room, her phone in her hand. She smiled, her husband's voice on the other end of a line. "I'm fine, Chris. Really", she assured him.

"I'm just saying, be careful", he repeated.

"I always am. Now give me Meg on the phone."

"Mom!", Meg exclaimed.

"Hey, honey", Kate replied sweetly. "How are you doing?"

"Everything's OK", Meg answered calmly. "I'm working on a school science project with a few of my friends."

"When will you be home?", Meg asked softly.

"I don't know", Kate answered softly, pouting. "Soon, I hope."

"I miss you", Meg whispered.

"I miss you too", Kate said softly. She then ended the call and put her phone down on the bedside table.

Kate glanced through the window, stopping in her tracks, her eyes focused on the black SUV parked on the other end of the street. She thought that it had been parked there for a long time. She also thought that she had seen it before, somewhere...

Kate looked at the car for some time, thinking about calling someone, maybe someone from the BAU, to check things out at least. She couldn't get a good look at the license plate from there.

Eventually, the car pulled over and drove away. Kate looked after it for some time, not sure what to expect. She checked if the door was locked, pulled all the drapes on, and lied down on the bed, her gun on the bedside table, her second one in the drawer and the third one in the closet.

#

Spencer was sitting at his desk, alone, a cup of coffee in his hand. A bunch of files was still stacked on the opposite corner of the desk, the near by board still covered with the crime scene photographs and police and forensic reports. Bright sunbeams peeked through the near by windows.

Spencer sighed, looking down at the tape recorder on the desk in front of him. He couldn't figure out why he hesitated, or what his current working theory was. He eventually took a deep breath, picked the tape recorder up, and pressed the play button.

Kate's voice soon filled the room. "Some coffee, please."

Then a man's voice. "Here it is."

Kate chuckled. The voices of other customers were heard in the background. "You're polite."

"I am. You new around here?" He chuckled. "Nice sight."

Kate giggled. "Thanks." "I don't feel that safe though. Have you heard about those two murders."

Paul groaned. "Yeah. Terrible. I heard that first girl was so bruised all over that her parents could barely identify her."

Kate took a deep breath. "Wow."

"So... be careful." Paul chuckled, a bit nervously. "You have a very nice hair."

A short, uneasy silence. "Thanks."

"Here's my number. If you want somebody to show you around the neighborhood."

"Thank you. I might call you."

"I hope you will." She groaned before turning the tape recorder off.

Spencer frowned, thinking about the theory he had been developing. He eventually reached into the case materials near by, and pulled out another tape.


End file.
